Thorns
by bloodtemptation
Summary: Junior year of high school has ended, and the girls decide to celebrate by going to Emily's cabin, especially to get away from all the drama. Plus, the boy who lives next door is, well, HOT. But the fun doesn't last for long. Spencer ends up with a serious illness, and there's also a severe thunderstorm headed their way. Can the girls last long enough to survive?
1. Chapter One: Getaway

A/N: Hello fellow readers! I have been really wanting to write a Pretty Little Liars story, and all of a sudden this idea smacked me in the forehead. There are a couple OC's, but other than that everything is connected to the storyline. This particular fanfiction will be around the events of mid-season 3ish. I think. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own PLL. Marlene King and Sara Shepard do.

"Makeup, check."

"Designer purse, check."

"Phone, charger, and camera, check."

"Sunglasses, check."

"Bikini, check."

If you had already watched at least the first episode of Pretty Little Liars, you probably would've have already guessed who was speaking right about now.

Yep. Typical Hanna Marin for ya.

Compared to the others, who were plenty happy with their jeans, blazers, and comfy dresses, Hanna liked to go all-out. Today she wore a pink and gold striped sundress, with a pair of leopard print glasses, and had pulled her hair into a tight braid.

Now finished with packing, Hanna closed the lid of her suitcase, then tugged on the zipper.

It didn't budge.

Hanna tugged harder, gritting her teeth in frustration. How hard was it to fit ten pre-picked designer outfits, a medium sized makeup bag, and a hair curler in a silver glitter suitcase?

"Hanna, Emily's here!" Why was her mom calling her? It wasn't even one o'clock yet!

 _Emily must've made sure to arrive early._

"Just a minute, I'm coming!" Hanna yelled over her shoulder, then turned back to the packing situation, cursing under her breath when the suitcase still wasn't answering her prayers.

"Hanna?" Now Emily's voice. "Do you need any help up there? I'm coming upstairs!"

 _Dammit._

"No, it's okay! I'm fine-"

Too late. Emily Fields, one of Hanna's best friends, appeared in the doorway. Compared to the blonde, she looked totally different, appearance and all. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, and she was dressed casually, with jeans and a Taylor Swift concert t-shirt, with a purple bandanna tied around her left wrist.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked, slightly concerned considering Hanna's flustered face and a little too stylish outfit.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Hanna stammered, jerking the zipper so that it finally got unstuck and zipping the suitcase shut. "There. All done!"

"Sounds good. Do you want me to help carry anything?"

No, thanks." Hanna shook her head. "All I have is this, so..."

"Are you sure? It looks pretty heavy to me."

"I'll be fine." Hanna insisted, standing the suitcase upright and gripping the top handle. "Thanks for offering though, Em."

"No problem. I'll be outside if you need me." With that, Emily turned on her heel and left the room.

Glad for her friend to be gone and not watch her struggle, Hanna mentally counted to three and heaved the suitcase over her shoulder like a backpack.

 _God, this thing feels like it weighs thirty pounds!_

Grumbling and groaning with a lot of effort, it took Hanna a while to work her way downstairs, to where her mother was waiting, a sly smirk on her face.

"Too heavy for you?" She joked.

"Not a chance, Mom." Hanna shot back, forcing a smile.

"Well, you have fun, okay? Be careful, Hanna. I love you."

"I love you too." The two exchanged a quick hug, then Hanna closed the front door behind her and headed outside, with a final goodbye from her only parent.

She met her gaze with Emily, who grinned and told her to get in the back while she loaded the suitcase in the truck.

Relieved to comply, Hanna handed it to her, then opened the back car door, hopping inside.

Aria met her in the back seat, and the two girls exchanged hugs and smiles before Aria spoke.

"Hanna," she said, pointing at her friend's outfit, "What the hell are you wearing?"

"What do you mean, what the hell am I wearing? I thought we were going to Em's cabin!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to wear anything that you bought for over a hundred dollars."

"Whatever." Hanna huffed, adjusting her braid. "By the way, where's Spencer?"

"We still need to pick her up." said Emily, who had just gotten into the car and was now turning the key in the ignition. "Her house is the last stop, then we'll be on our way to freedom."

"Tell me about it!" Aria exclaimed, sighing dramatically. "All I can think about is A not being able to torment us."

"You're totally right about that." Hanna replied. "I can't wait to go sunbathing and watch for hot guys."

"Who said anything about hot guys?" Emily said, smiling into the rear view mirror.

"Well, you never know!" Hanna said, and with that remark, the three girls burst in giggles.

It didn't take long before they reached Spencer's house. Their friend sat on the front steps, wearing a checkered blazer and a dark grey skirt to match, along with her brown hair pulled into a ponytail. Aria noticed that when she stood up, her usual serious expression turned into a pained one. when Spencer walked towards them, she seemed to drag her right leg behind her. A bandage was wrapped tightly around it right below the kneecap.

Emily was the first to ask about the injury.

"Spencer," she asked, "What happened?"

"Are you okay?" Hanna added.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just dropped a kitchen knife on my leg, that's all."

Aria gasped. "Did you need stitches?"

"No. Mom, Dad and Melissa are in Virginia visiting my aunt, so I was alone when it happened. Plus, it's just a scratch."

"It doesn't look like just a scratch to me." Emily noted, crossing her arms.

"Well, either way I'll deal with it-"

"Guys, stop." Aria interrupted the two, easing the tense feelings. "Spencer can tell us if she's hurting any time. I think she just doesn't want the attention right now, okay? If she wants some help later on, we'll give it to her."

"Fine. Sorry, Spencer." Emily said, getting back in the car.

"Sorry, Em."

"Anyways..." Hanna dragged on, trying to change the subject. "Are we ready to go?"

"I think so, Han." Aria replied. "Spencer, would you like to join me in the back, and Hanna can sit in the front with Emily? Is that okay, Hanna?"

"Sure." Hanna said, getting out of the car and getting into the front. "There you go, Spence."

"Thanks." Spencer said, putting her stuff in the back and getting in next to Aria, closing the car door. "Hey, Aria."

"Hey, Spencer. Team Sparia is reunited, huh?"

Spencer grinned. "You bet."

"Everyone ready?" Emily asked. "Seatbelts on?"

"Yep!"

"I'm buckled in."

"Ready."

"Okay then. Get prepared for the ride of your life!" Emily said, smiling.

With that, they sped off for the highway, heading up towards the north of Rosewood. But none of them knew things were only about to get worse.


	2. Chapter Two: On The Road

A/N: Hello again! Just wanted to say how astonished I am to how fast people have reviewed, favorited and followed! WOW! Thank you so much!

I also wanted to add that for every ten reviews I receive, I will respond to five of them. It can be constructive criticism, your thoughts on the chapter, or just some positive feedback! So keep that in mind, and, as always, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own PLL. Marlene King and Sara Shepard do.

"Em, how much longer?"

"Hanna, seriously! We've driven for an hour and a half, so we have around forty five minutes to go, okay?"

"But when are we going to be there?"

"I already told you, not much longer!"

Poor Emily had been dealing with Hanna's impatience since they had reached the countryside. Both Aria and Spencer had fallen asleep, and right now Emily would have killed to switch with either one at this moment.

"Emily?"

"What?!"

"There's a pile of broken glass ahead-"

But Emily couldn't swerve out of the way in time. The Volvo ran over the glass, the right tire catching in one of the shards and ripping. Precious air escaped, the torn rubber flailing about like leaves in the wind.

"Shit!" Emily swore, letting all the negative feelings loose and unbuckling herself out of the ride. Slamming the door, she crouched down to the front of the vehicle, glancing at each wheel.

Right front tire.

 _Great. Just great._

"Everything okay?"

She turned around to see Aria standing not five feet away, shielding her tired eyes from the blinding sunlight.

"Emily, is everything okay?" Aria repeated, scanning her friend for any sign of injury.

Emily's tone went from agitated to worried in less than a second.

"No, yes, everything's fine, Aria. It's just a flat tire, and I don't know how to change it."

"Oh." Something must've lit up in the shorter girl's mind, because she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and kneeled down next to Emily.

"Well, I did have to take a Engineering and Mechanics class this year. Maybe I can figure it out?"

"You took Engineering and Mechanics?" Emily was surprised, especially since Aria was one of those girls that didn't really like to get her hands dirty.

"Is that such a bad thing? It was either that or Dissection."

"No, it's not, I just.. Never mind. Um, how long do you thing it'll take?"

"I'm not sure. Like I said, I could definitely try to figure it out. Maybe an hour?"

"Well, that's probably better than having to call someone and pay two hundred dollars."

"True." Aria stood up. "Let me put on my old hoodie first. Can you and Hanna get the spare?"

"Sure, but what about Spencer?"

"She hasn't been feeling too well, actually. I think it'd just be better if she rested."

"Okay. I'll go get Han."

From there, the three girls took the matter into their own hands, starting with the tire being rolled out and the ripped one taken out. Emily used her strength while Aria used her smarts, the two working great together as a team. Even Hanna managed to pitch in, handing Aria the tools she needed and taking the ones she didn't and putting them back in the emergency tool box.

After about an hour and fifteen minutes later, everything was back up and running. Yes, there was some oily messes involved, but ten more minutes and you couldn't even tell that the wheel had been replaced.

"And, there we go! Nice work, guys." Hanna said, breathing hard.

"That was a workout, wasn't it?" Aria joked.

"Sure was." Emily replied, grinning. "Now, let's get back on the road."

From then on the rest of the ride went smoothly, and within another hour they arrived at their destination. Emily parked the vehicle in the circular driveway, but before she could put the gear in park, Hanna unlocked the door and jumped out, inhaling deeply.

"Finally, fresh air!"

"What, like Rosewood doesn't have clean air?" Aria replied, helping Spencer out of the backseat while also trying to grab their bags.

"Here, let me help you." Emily took one of the bags from Aria, who muttered a thank you. "Hanna, can you open the front door for us, please?"

"You got it." Hanna took the keys from Emily's one free hand and went to the front door, opening it with a swift 'click' and revealing the interior.

The cabin was a beautiful rustic building, with smooth wood floors and black leather furniture. There was a stainless steel fridge with white cabinets and beautiful granite countertops. There was even a brick fireplace near a corner.

But then Hanna noticed something out of place. There was a letter with Emily's name written on it, along with a paper plate full of what looked like brownies.

"Hanna?" Hamm turned, seeing Emily, Aria and Spencer at the door, Emily struggling to keep a firm grip on all the baggage.

"Oh, sorry!" She opened the door, holding it against the wall as her friends dumped their stuff on the floor and sat down on a couch to catch their breath.

"Hey, Em?" Hanna said, approaching her with caution, "Um, someone left you a note."

"What? Where?"

"On the kitchen counter."

Emily, stood up, going over to where the letter lay, unopened. There was a moment of eerie silence as she ripped it open, pulling out a piece of folded paper.

"Is it-" Spencer started, but Emily shook her head, her cheeks turning red with blush.

"What is it?" Aria wanted to know.

"It's a note from the boy that lives next door."

"Seriously?!" Hanna looked both shocked and excited at the same time. "What did he say?"

"Read it yourself." Emily said, handing her the note.

 _Emily-_  
 _I heard you were coming over here with some of your friends. My mom made brownies, so I thought I'd run some over for you. Hope you like them!_

 _-Kade_

Hanna passed the note over to Aria and Spencer, who read it with wide eyes.

"Just who is this 'Kade' ?" Aria asked.

"And how'd he get in here in the first place?" Spencer added.

"Guys, honestly, he's just a friend! We have each other our house keys, only for emergency circumstances."

So this was a emergency?" Aria was pissed.

"No, I guess not-"

"Well, can I meet him?"

"Maybe tomorrow, Hanna. It's late."

"Speaking of late, I think we should get to bed. Tomorrow's another day." Aria rationed.

Emily nodded. "Aria's right." She motioned to a room ahead an then downstairs. "There's only two bedrooms. Who wants to sleep with who?"

"I'll be with Aria, if that okay." Spencer said, looking exhausted.

"It's settled then. I'll be with Hanna upstairs, and Aria and Spencer can go downstairs."

The girls all agreed, so they said their goodnights, changing into pajamas, then crawling into the bed, turning the lights off. It wasn't long before they all fell asleep.


	3. Chapter Three: Broken

**A/N: Just wanted to shoutout Emilie2601 for being the one and only reviewer! For all of you who are still reading, review please! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own PLL. Marlene King and Sara Shepard do.**

Pain.

It dug itself into her skull, a thousand tiny needles pressing themselves into her skin, poking her one by one. Her stomach was all knives, stabbing, crushing her heart until it crumbled into nothing.

Spencer sat up in bed breathing hard. One look at the clock said it was 2:21 in the morning. She hadn't even slept three hours, max, due to the headache that had turned into a nightmare. Spencer had wanted to tell the others about her head, but she didn't, which she realized had been a big mistake.

Her body shook, a bone-chilling spasm running down her spine. She gritted her teeth to keep from crying out. The pain, oh, the pain, was growing closer and closer to unbearable, and Spencer didn't know if she could withstand it much longer.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Spence?" She must've woken Aria up. "Why are you awake? Did you have a nightmare about A?"

Spencer had to smile at that, but then doubled over, clutching her side. She felt as if her whole body was on fire.

"Spencer!" Aria went over to her friend's side, immediately pressing the back of her hand to Spencer's forehead. "You have a fever."

"I-I do?" Immediately Spencer regretted speaking those words, her body shaking like a leaf just from opening her mouth. Her vocal cords felt like they were going to explode.

She couldn't help but think that it wouldn't be good with a bunch of blood stuck in her throat.

Aria ran to the closest bathroom, running a washcloth under cold water and rushing back, pressing the dripping fabric to Spencer's forehead.

Relief flooded her body, a river rushing through her veins. The fire was no longer there for a second, smoke rising from her lungs and leaving from her nostrils.

It provided such comfort, and Spencer wanted it to stay like that forever.

"More," she begged. "More, please."

Aria nodded, grabbing more wet washcloths and placing them on numerous places; the back of Spencer's neck, her forearms, and her ankles. She repeated this process again and again, constantly moving back and forth between places.

"Aria." Spencer spoke, looking better than she had forty five minutes ago. The color was slowly returning to her face. "The pain's almost gone."

"Then let's kick it to the curb for good." Aria replied, handing her a cup of water and some pain-reducing pills. "Take these, Spence. It'll make you feel better."

It took a lot of effort to keep the capsules down, Spencer trying her best to make her stomach stay under control, while Aria sat by her side the entire time, whispering comforting words in her ear.

"Everything's going to be okay, Spencer. We're team Sparia. I won't let anything happen to you."

"A's already happened to me, Aria." Spencer said, touching the bandage on her leg and wincing. "I don't need anything else."

"You're right." Aria nodded. "We don't." She felt Spencer's forehead a second time. "Your fever's gone down quite a bit. Do you want to try to go to sleep again?"

Spencer nodded weakly, which was a yes. The two crawled into bed, and before even a minute had passed, they were both out like lights.

xxxxx

If it wasn't for Emily setting the alarm to seven thirty in the morning, Hanna probably would have slept in until eleven.

Beep. Beep. Beep Beep. Beep Beep.

"Ugh..." Hanna groaned, sitting up in bed, practically slapping her hand down on the snooze button. "Em, what happened to you and sleeping in?"n

Her friend giggled, throwing the covers off the bed. "Nothing, Han. I just wanted to get an early start, you know, the early bird gets the worm."

"But I don't even like worms."

"It's an expression, Hanna."

"Whatever." Hanna yawned, stretching her arms outward. "I'm gonna go get dressed."

"Okay. Do you want to go on a run with me after?"

"What?"

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun! Plus I need to keep a strict regimen for exercise, especially since I'm still swimming."

"Oh, fine."

Ten minutes later, the blonde and the dark brown haired girl were jogging up the dirt road, their tennis shoes crunching against the gravel.

"How long are we going for?" Hanna asked, breathing hard.

"Not long." Emily replied, keeping a steady pace. "We'll probably be able to reach the shops from here. I was going to order sub sandwiches for lunch-"

Thunder rang overhead, making both girls look up towards the sky. Almost on cue, rain began to fall, first a light sprinkle then in sheets. It was absolutely pouring.

"You know what? Forget what I just said." Emily exclaimed loudly, the sound of the weather practically drowning out her voice. "I'll have to order something online."

"Let's just head back. We're close to drowning up here!" Hanna shouted back.

So they ran, their shoes splattering against puddles, getting muddier every second. Emily slipped, her shoe catching in a crack and she went flying, landing hard on her side.

"Em!" Hanna turned around and ran back, hoisting her friend up with both arms. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Emily forced a smile. "Let's hurry. Just be careful the rest of the way."

Hanna nodded, and they both hurried to the cabin, jogging quickly. The door was locked, and Emily fumbled with the slippery key before unlocking it.

The door finally clicked open and the two rain in, slamming it behind them. There was still no sign of Aria and Spencer.

"Ugh, I'm covered in mud." Emily said, complaining.

Hanna looked her over, then gasped. "Em, you're bleeding!"

"I am?" Emily glanced down. Dark red crimson liquid dripped down her legs, her knees already mixing with the dirt and raw skin. "Oh."

"Stay there and don't move." Hanna motioned towards a wooden bench in the middle of the hallway. "I'm gonna get the first aid kit. Do you know where it is?"

"Downstairs in the storage room. Beware, it's a little cluttered in there." Emily looked a little weak.

"Gotcha." Hanna winked at her, then went downstairs, taking two steps at a time.

She found it quickly, a shoebox filled with a bunch of medical supplies; a roll of bandages, some antiseptic fluid, suture string and a needle to provide stitches, a splint kit for broken bones of all shapes and sizes, scissors, and a pair of tweezers.

A low groan came from upstairs. Hanna had forgotten that Emily hated the sight of blood.

"Hang on, Em!" Hanna stuffed the bandages and some surgical tape under one arm and bounded upstairs.

Emily was slumped on her side, her eyelids tired and fluttering aimlessly, like she was staring into space. She seemed only half conscious.

"Emily!"

Hanna poured some rubbing alcohol she had found on a paper towel and dabbed furiously at the wounds, then grabbed some ointment by the counter and squeezed it on so there would be less risk of infection. She ripped off a strip of bandaging and wrapped it around her kneecap, securing it with a piece of surgical tape. The blonde then repeated the process with the other leg.

By now. Emily had begun to stir. She moaned again, opening her eyes.

"H...Hanna."

"Hey, Em." Hanna smiled, holding her hand with both of hers. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I smelled blood."

"That's right, you fainted. Sorry about that, it was my fault for not cleaning you up quicker."

"No, don't worry about it." Emily propped herself up using one elbow. "It's.. really just the storm's fault."

As if to respond, thunder rumbled overhead, lightning flashing every other second.

Hanna and Emily jumped, then laughed at themselves for being scared of something they knew wouldn't hurt them.

Or would it?

A/N: Read and Review please! Hope you're enjoying the story so far!


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